Who listens to music when riding?

[Lt153]

When I am on a piece of blacktop that I know, I love to crank it up and let the combination of the music and the feel of the bike when it gets in just the right spot, take me into nirvana.  Yeah, I have stopped going through the twisty's and sweepers, sat up, and found unpleasant company in the mirrors.  But hell, I have had that happen without music.  After all, it's called "asphalt dancing", and you need music to dance. But in traffic, in the city, no way, soccer moms will kill ya.

[jwhite518]

Bump.

I'm new to the "tunes on the bike" game, because my new Zumo plays MP3s. In the olden days I thought listening to music was for people who weren't real bikers. I loved the quiet, I loved the places my brain went when there was nothing else to think about. Didn't want music, didn't need it.

When the Zumo came I decided to give it a try. I'm finding that I alternate between tunes and quiet. Sometimes I want it quiet so I turn it off. Sometimes I'm in the mood to hear something so I play something. Before I had the Zumo I spent a lot of time listening to music in my head anyway. Whenever I need to concentrate I turn it off: twisties, traffic, etc. There have been accidental moments when the music synched up perfectly with the riding, and that was awesome.

In summary I'd say it's a positive addition to the bike. I could live without it, but it's nice to have.

[Malks]

4 gb i-Pod on shuffle.  Use the same thing in my car through the FM transmitter.  Can't stand listening to DJ's on the morning show just yapping away and laughing at themselves.  I would much rather listen to my tunes and enyoy the ride, either in my car or on my bike.  When on the bike I can keep the volume low enough that I can still hear the motor and other traffic around me.

Malks

[hobie1dog]

Being a musician, I eat, drink , and sleep, and ride music.  Without it life SUCKS.

[RickC1957]

Engine noise...music to my ears

[adele]

I like to be able to hear what is going on with the bike and around me.
If I feel like music then I just start singing what pops into my head and I have a blast just singing away as loud as I want.
  And it's a good thing that I save my singing for the bike because I can't sing a lick.

[natronazx6r]

I like to listen to my bike's exhaust and engine noises. It especially helps to be able to listen to the bike when riding in the mountain twisties, as I am used to how it should sound at certain desireable rpms, especially when diving into the curves. I have never had a desire to listen to any music while riding a bike.

 

[stefrrr]

I find that I'm not quite as "with it" while listening to music. On slab it doesn't seem to be as bad, but listening to music in the twisties just feels weird. Plus I do kind of like the quiet.

[badger]

In a car, I feel like I'm driving to the "event" and so, radio, mp3 whatever is a welcomed time distraction until I get there.  On the bike, the trip is the "event" and I prefer to not have anything distract from it.